Winnie Byanyima asks: "Why should Besigye leave the struggle?"

Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of Oxfam International and wife to Dr Kizza Besigye has scoffed at those who say her husband should leave the political stage. In a tweet on March 3, Byanyima wrote: "Retire? From fighting for justice? That's a miscalculation..."

Byanyima's tweet appears to have been a reaction to calls by some political players for Besigye to step aside and hand over the opposition mantle to someone else.

The calls have been led by Abed Bwanika, a former presidential candidate and amplified by supporters of the People Power pressure group, an informal organisation led by Kyadondo East MP, Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine.

Besigye and his supporters have always punched holes into this argument insisting that whoever wants to join the opposition political fray is welcome.

Retire? From@fighting for justice? That’s a miscalculation. Like him or not, @kizzabesigye1 doesn’t give up on a just cause because he is attacked or because the journey is tough! Hasn’t he proved that? https://t.co/MQLnxzbco9

— Winnie Byanyima (@Winnie_Byanyima) March 3, 2019

Many of the people who responded to the tweet agreed with Byanyima's assertion. Some however disagreed.

Besigye has also often maintained that he will back whoever is willing and has the capacity to defeat Museveni. In an interview with CBS Radio on March 2, Besigye said he did not back the presidential bid of Amama Mbabazi in 2016 after realising that the former premier did not have a solid plan to defeat Museveni.

Besigye has been the dominant opposition figure for the last 20 years. He has unsuccessfully stood four times against President Museveni.